Sheriff: Ford Heights fire dispatcher pawned department property

A Ford Heights fire dispatcher has been charged with buying a piece of department equipment knowing it was stolen, then pawning the item, the Cook County sheriff's office announced today.

A $20,000 personal recognizance bond was set today for Varndell Hurrings, 52, of Sauk Village, on a felony theft charge, according to a sheriff's office release.

On Jan. 26 the fire department notified the sheriff's office, which provides police services to Ford Heights, that a hydraulic unit used to power a "Jaws of Life" was missing, after last being seen in an equipment inspection on Jan. 22, the office said.

In April the sheriff's office learned that the unit, valued at $4,100, had been sold to a Chicago Heights pawn shop in January for $80.

Investigators found out that Hurrings had bought the unit, knowing it was stolen, for $40 from another person who has since died. Hurrings sold it to the pawn shop, the sheriff's office said.

The next court date for Hurrings was set for June 14 in the Markham Courthouse.